Post navigation

O’Sullivan quotes

Here’s what Patrick O’Sullivan had to say about his new contract…
———-

Question: Are you satsified with this deal? Glad to finally have it done?

O’SULLIVAN: “Yeah, it is a relief. Obviously it has gone on for quite a long time. I’m sure everyone was frustrated with how it was going. Fortunately we were able to come to an agreement that both sides are happy with, and now I get to play hockey again.”

Question: How aware were you of the day-to-day discussions and negotiations?

O’SULLIVAN: “I was involved every day in what was going on. The funny thing is, there were times when there wasn’t anything going on, but I’d still be getting updates from my agent. Obviously I’m the one who ultimately makes the decision, but it was hard to sit on the outside and watch everything happen. But at the end of the day, it’s part of the game and it’s a business. I tried to take everything as though it is a business and not take anything personal. I’m just glad it’s all over.”

Question: Did you ever expect this process to take this long? Did you have any expectations, coming in, about how tough it might be?

O’SULLIVAN: “I definitely didn’t think it would be this difficult. For it to go on as long as it has, definitely that was surprising to me, and I’m sure if you talked to Dean and Jeff (Solomon) and all those guys, they would say the same thing. I guess at the end of the day, we were able to come to an agreement, and that’s all that matters, but obviously I missed most of camp and that’s important. But I’m not the first person who has been in this situation and I won’t be the last, so as unfortunate as it is, it does happen, and fortunately we’re now able to go forward. That’s the most exciting thing for me.”

Question: Are you pleased with the security now, not having to worry about this for three years?

O’SULLIVAN: “Yeah, the core guys… There’s been so much talk about the young guys taking over, and to be a part of that for three years, and hopefully longer after that, is really exciting. The pieces are starting to come together and I’m excited to get there and see Kopi and Brownie and meet the new guys and obviously meet the coaches and all that stuff. It’s really exciting for me and the organization, and I’m really happy to be playing hockey and not working out every day by myself. I’ve been driving my girlfriend crazy.”

Question: Do you have any expectations about when you might be able to play in a game? Obviously you have to learn some new teammates and new systems…

O’SULLIVAN: “It’s more going to be about how I feel. As far as the systems, obviously it’s going to take some adjusting, but I don’t have a hard time learning things on that side of it, so I don’t know. Obviously I’m going to have to talk to the coaches and see how I feel these next few days in practice and make sure I’m not going to get injured. That would be the worst thing that could happen. If I play this weekend or I don’t, it’s going to be a week or two, I’m assuming, that it’s going to take for me to get my timing back 100 percent and all that stuff. We’ll see what happens. I’m going to take it day by day and we’ll go from there.”

Question: Did you talk to teammates throughout all this, or was it easier to just remove yourself from the situation?

O’SULLIVAN: “Honestly, they’re my friends. Taking hockey out of the equation, I’m still going to talk to them. I talked to a lot of guys on the team. As training camp started, obviously it got a lot harder at that point because people started asking questions about what’s going on. Obviously for me, it was hard not being there with the guys and going through all the stuff that a team goes through in order to come together and learn about each other. That was the most difficult part, but I definitely had support from everyone I spoke to on the team. That definitely helped me at the end of the day.”

Considering how this whole situation played out over such a long period of time, I’d have to say I find Patrick’s comments more reassuring than I’d expected they would be.

I hope he makes quick adjustments after joining the team and has a good start to the season.

deadcatbounce

Sounds like the typical athlete-speak, but I’m glad he’s back. The comment about being a part of the core for the next three years “and hopefully longer” were encouraging. Hope you have a good year, Patrick!

JonG

What a difference between Sully’s upbeat comments and Cammy’s tight-lipped responses last year. Give him two weeks to get into shape, and we’ll forget this entire episode.

Thanks Rich, for providing such quick responses from both of the principals involved.

jet

Great stuff Rich

It sounds like everyone got what they needed. DL and POS should be applauded for going after this so hard.

Cristobal – please pass Anthony and Peaches the prozac. Also, I think 60 points would be a fair objective, but hopefully the primary goal is to have the kids play 60 or 65 games.

http://hbshakes.blogspot.com Shakes

dude, i’m so excited for this season…i can see a season of some big highs and some learning periods…(hopefully not entire months, like last December)

thanks as always Rich!

Brent

This is the best news I’ve had in days. I’m really happy for Patrick, the Kings, and the fans. This is a good step towards getting Kopitar and Johnson re-upped. I’ll look forward to those days. Thanks, Rich!

Duckhunter

POS is a good kid. For those who don’t think he wants to be part of this core or part of the Kings need to take a second look. He’s done everything asked of him and more. He’s the type of character and personality you want to be around and go to battle with. That speaks volumes in my book. Welcome home kid, now get in shape and help us win some games this year, we’re going to need you.

Tim

Rich thank you sooooo much for your time. Great stuff!

DIEHARD the King Fan

Great work getting the inside scoop. Glad he’s signed, and glad you get the job done filling us in on the info we all want to hear as well!!!

pat

Patrick,

All Kings fans are ecstatic that you’re gonna be an integral part of the team. We’re glad you’re back! Time to puck!

anonymous lurker

I will be so pissed if he pulls a muscle tomorrow. Strecth, Pat, stretch!!!

jediknight329

i wholeheartely agree with my fellow section mate brent. this is a great way to start off the season. this is a very fair deal. nearly 9 mil over 3 years. when he is 26 and is the s**t, he will sign a mega-contract (hopefully with us) and make 25-30 mil over 5-6 years. he should be excited and we should be excited. by that time we should be celebrating our 3rd or 4th cup by then.

go kings…

Paincorp

Flat out, this place is a blessing. To have this kind of access to my team makes me feel that much closer to it. As always, thank you Rich..

Welcome back Sully! It’s exciting to see this franchise come together the way it is supposed to be done for the first time ever in its history.

Let’s all enjoy the ride and make the playoffs THIS year. Why not? We can do it. Just believe…

Anze

He shouldn’t be pulling any muscles as he should’ve been staying in shape the entire time. Sounds like he has.

It will only be a matter of shaking off the rust and getting in tune with the system and, presumably, Kopitar and Brown.

I don’t see how a playoff berth is so impossible with this team. It can happen.

Duckhunter

Glad he signed, He should play at the earliest against Carolina. He should be ready by then. And just curious how someone else could have the name Duckhunter, I thought I had earned that one. Oh well I guess 2 Duckhunters are better than one.

wavesinair

Of course, I had to go to work just as they announced the signing! Missed a ton of blogging. Thanks Rich! You are such a hockey junkie, aren’t you?

I’m very happy Patio signed and his comments are really great. The kid is very well spoken, very clear headed, and very determined to have a great year. He oozes excitement and confidence. He’s just what we needed to get this season going. And NO it will not take him until January to get up to speed. Ridiculous stuff that was said about him missing camp. He’s a sharp, sharp kid. No worries.

As far as the contract goes, it is right in line with what I was saying. 3 million per year. With a good owner and a cooler GM he’d be locked up for 5 years. But hey, we’ll take 3!

It’s clear that they both compromised. It’s also clear to me that Lombardi LOW-BALLED Patio from the start. If DL had to come up to 3 mil in the end, then what on earth could he have been offering him early on? I’m guessing more like 5 for 9. Do you for one second believe DL offered him 3 for 9 from the start? No chance.

For those who said he did, admit now that DL low balled Patio and low balled Cammy right out the door. For all of you DL cheerleaders and Patio haters out there, you really should check yourself and realize that DL is playing with fire and that we are very lucky as fans to have a guy like Patio on this team.

MacSwede

What do you guys think the new lineups will be?
If Sully replaces Moulson on the first line, what happens with him?

Welcome back Sully!!!!!
It’s great to hear that he holds no animosity towards the organization like many of the naysayers thought,as well as no animosity towards his teammates or vice versa..as someone also suggested.
AS DL said in his interview; It’s called negotiating…both sides compromised.

Wavesinair:”It’s clear that they both compromised. It’s also clear to me that Lombardi LOW-BALLED Patio from the start. If DL had to come up to 3 mil in the end, then what on earth could he have been offering him early on? I’m guessing more like 5 for 9. Do you for one second believe DL offered him 3 for 9 from the start? No chance.”

Ridiculous! I guess Sully wasn’t asking for a lot more than the 3 year/$9mil? Might he have been asking for $5 mil a year or more? Also only wanting a 1 year deal? In any negotiation, management tries to get the player for as little as possible and the player tries to get the most he possibly can..the end result is meeting somewhere in the middle, which appears to be the case here.
If DL had offered him 3/$9mil from the beginning, he would have had to give Sully more when they finally compromised…how would that have helped us in future negotiations? It’s not about giving away the store…he needs to try and keep salaries in line so that he can keep everyone together.

sd

wavesinair, your comments are a bit naive and cynical.
My guess is that DL offered him a long term deal like 5 or 6 years for around 2 million per year. That sounds like a low, but reasonable opening position for a smart negotiator. Sully was probably looking for a short term deal with a higher number that would give him a chance to renegotiate in a year or two for an even higher number after he has a breakout year and scores 30 or 40 goals and ton of points.

The bottom line is it’s business. At least Sully wants to stay here for a bit and isn’t going go into arbitration at every opportunity until he’s a free agent.

Brian S

Sully had one good year. I love him as a King but he does not deserve more than he got. If he proves himself this year and continues an upward trajectory, then he will see a big pay day in three and hopefully stay with the Kings. But come on, saying that DL is low balling is just ridiculous. Lubo disappeared after his pay day and look what that got us. Sully still has a lot to prove. I’m pretty sure he will, but paying him before that would have been a mistake.

Go KINGS!

Boba_Puck

I have to concur with what JediKnight 329 said. Sully is going to benefit from this deal and in a few years he will be able to commnad an even bigger contract! I am pleased that this distraction is over and the team can focus on the season. GO KING GO!

jediknight329 said:
i wholeheartely agree with my fellow section mate brent. this is a great way to start off the season. this is a very fair deal. nearly 9 mil over 3 years. when he is 26 and is the s**t, he will sign a mega-contract (hopefully with us) and make 25-30 mil over 5-6 years. he should be excited and we should be excited. by that time we should be celebrating our 3rd or 4th cup by then.

go kings…

Anonymous

athlete-speak? I wonder how else an athlete is supposed to speak.

http://fhefeefeffe.com morty7

wow… what can i say

http://www.akl.lt/akl-2.9/baltix/Members/LcdMonitor Donny

Hi everyone. For most men life is a search for the proper manila envelope in which to get themselves filed. Help me! It has to find sites on the: Lcd monitor brightness. I found only this – 15 lcd flat panel monitor. Lcd monitor, instead to supply as which time is repairing article. Lcd monitor, the tier, present, and number rights that not placed long last setup connectors were dramatically pre-installed in one many frame, sitting it combined to cause them in video diode. Thank you very much :confused:. Donny from Luxembourg.

http://www.freekendrawilkinsonsextape.com/ Kendra Wilkinson Sex Tape

I was so frustrated beacuse I couldn`t resolve this issue. Then I found your site in google and problem is solved. Thanks!

Who is behind Inside the Kings blog?

Elliott Teaford is an award-winning hockey reporter based in Southern California and witnessed the L.A. Kings win the Stanley Cup in 2012 and in '14. He grew up playing outdoors on the streets of Philadelphia. He also watched the Flyers bully their way to consecutive Stanley Cups in the 1970s, and makes no excuses for their quasi-legal play.

Comments policy

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.

If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@langnews.com.